Featured Audience Ratings

• xGary X

  
  A bored teacher encourages a promising young student to write a story that results in him insinuating himself into the life of a middle class classmate for inspiration. In The House is one of those self aware deconstructions of the creative process, coming across as a kind of blending… More
  A bored teacher encourages a promising young student to write a story that results in him insinuating himself into the life of a middle class classmate for inspiration. In The House is one of those self aware deconstructions of the creative process, coming across as a kind of blending of Adaptation and The Lives Of Others. The core of the story is essentially the symbiotic relationship between story teller and his audience whose voyeuristic appetites are represented by the teacher whose need for an engaging narrative rather than the dreariness of day-to-day life result in unfortunate repercussions for all involved. The manipulative young student reminded me somewhat of the characters in Funny Games, although the approach is far more artistic rather than sadistic and Ernst Umhauer's performance has just the right combination of vulnerability and creepiness. The story does not have quite the impact it could have as his motivations are never fully explored but the final "Rear Window" scene is a really nice touch and it's a smart and intelligent little comic drama that will appeal to fans of Charlie Kaufman.

• Saskia D

  
  Did not leave an impression whatsoever. Ernst Umhauer's character annoyed the crap out of me. I saw it in the theater a couple of weeks ago, but I can't and don't care to remember what it was about.

• Carlos M

  
  A smart and fascinating drama that ingeniously dissolves the barrier that separates fiction from reality, as we witness a talented teenager using a curious ploy to draw his intrigued teacher into a witty meta-discussion on the production of a narrative work.

• Walter M

  
  Germain(Fabrice Luchini) is a high school literature teacher who despite the new uniforms, has little hope for his students. That changes when he reads an assignment from Claude(Ernst Umhauer) about the weekend that he spent at his friend Rapha's(Bastien Ughetto) house. It is… More
  Germain(Fabrice Luchini) is a high school literature teacher who despite the new uniforms, has little hope for his students. That changes when he reads an assignment from Claude(Ernst Umhauer) about the weekend that he spent at his friend Rapha's(Bastien Ughetto) house. It is so good that even his wife Jeanne(Kristin Scott Thomas), an art gallery manager, admires his turn of phrase, even if they feel he might be getting ahead of himself there. That turns to anticipation when Claude delivers a sequel for his next assignment. At first, "In the House" might seem like just another one of Francois Ozon's domestic intruder movies. Except here, Claude is more passive observer, allowing Ozon to depict events with a lighter, if still provocative touch.(Whether Ozon mellowing is a good sign or a sign of the apocalypse is up for debate.) Even then, Claude still affects the lives of those around him, all of which including himself are missing something valuable from their lives. That's where fiction, with the particularly intoxicating addiction of serialization mixed in, can serve as a distraction from their otherwise troubled lives. That all happens amongst all the literary references, of which I am wondering if the revelation of Germain's full name is supposed to be part of.

• The Movie W

  
  At the ironically titled 'Lycee Gustave Flaubert' high school, frustrated teacher Germain (Luchini) bemoans the lack of talent, or indeed interest, among the students of his Frenchclass. One evening however, while marking another crop of dull "How I spent my… More
  At the ironically titled 'Lycee Gustave Flaubert' high school, frustrated teacher Germain (Luchini) bemoans the lack of talent, or indeed interest, among the students of his Frenchclass. One evening however, while marking another crop of dull "How I spent my weekend" essays", he discovers a piece of writing by shy student Claude (Umhauer) which shows promise. Claude details how he befriended a boy in his class just to gain access to his house and establish relations with his mother, who he is attracted to. With Germain's encouragement, the young man continues to provide his teacher with literary details of his plan. As Claude's story begins to move into darker territory, Germain finds himself too involved to discourage his student, causing a strain on the relationship with his wife Jeanne (Scott-Thomas). 'Rear Window' meets 'Cyrano de Bergerac' in Ozon's brilliantly crafted psycho-thriller. Like Jimmy Stewart in Hitchcock's film, Germain becomes obsessed with a developing story which may or may not be true. The difference here is that Germain has the ability to manipulate the narrative himself, or does he? Though he takes the role of Cyrano to Claude's Christian, it's the young man who is really pulling the strings, manipulating his teacher's desire to find that one talent who makes his teaching job, and thus his life, worthwhile. Claude uses phrases and observations designed specifically to appeal to Germain's contempt for mainstream society. The teacher and his art-dealing wife literally drool as Claude describes his friend's mother (Seigner) as possessing "that distinctive odor of the middle-class woman". Film-makers influenced by Hitchcock are two a penny (especially in France) but few seem to translate the humor of Hitch's movies into their own. Ozon's film is packed with laughs, most courtesy of Scott-Thomas, whose character seems an amalgamation of 'Rear Window's Grace Kelly and 'Vertigo's Barbara Bel Geddes. Like the former, she struggles to get her lover interested in her own passions. (Some of the film's best jokes come at the expense of the pretentious "art" she deals in, including such "masterpieces" as a swastika made of dildos). At one point, with the best intentions, she tries to involve herself in her husband's obsession, only to provoke his ire. The scene recalls Bel Geddes ill-judged unveiling of the tasteless painting which destroys her relationship with Stewart in 'Vertigo'. Ozon uses sharp humor, combined with every cinematic trick in the book, to give us a wildly entertaining movie which feels like the bastard love child of Woody Allen and Claude Chabrol. Once you enter this house, you'll be in no rush to leave.

• ernest e

  
  It had nothing much about it. You might as well watch the simpsons, at least that is a little funny.How can this get such a high rating while there are many much better movies out there that get a rotten tomatoe.It was not a bad movie, it was not a good one either, therefore 50 %.

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